Re: Electronic damage

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: "Joshua Lovato by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <jlovato-at-newmexico-dot-com>

> > Original poster: "Anthony by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>"
> > <firework-at-firework.co.nz>
> >
> > Hi there,
> >
> > I am new on the list. Years ago when I worked in a University Physics
> > Department building lecture demonstrations I built a 2 metre high Tesla
> > powered with three neon sign transformers in parallel.
> >
> > It worked very well and we just charged in to the lecture theatre and
used
> > it with no thoughts of all the electronics just through the wall in the
> > back room. It would dimly light dimly all the fluorescent in a room
> seating
> > 350 students when we ran it. They had thyratron dimmers.
> >
> > We never had any damage problems. But  recently I was asked to run and
> > event where a touring artist with his Tesla coil is going to figure on
> > stage indoors.
> >
> > I am very leery of it but am I being too conservative?  Todays
electronics
> > items are I think vastly less forgiving than those of 25 years ago.
> >
> > We are also to supply pyrotechnic effects and they will be foil wrapped
in
> > locked metal trunks  well  away till he is done.
> >
> > But has any one had a computer blown?  I realise that in a small garage
> > damage is easily done, but has any one ever run a coil on stage in a
> > theatre with all the lights and sound gear up and running?
> >
> > Any one fried all the nearby cell phones or killed a walkman or blitzed
> the
> > lighting dimmers on the wall?
> >
> > I see how damage is possible but does it occur easily in practice?
> >
> > Interested to hear of your actual experiences in the matter as I am so
out
> > of touch now.
> >
> >
> > Kind Regards     Anthony Lealand             Firework Professionals
> > Ltd          Web   www.firework.co.nz

Hi, I don't know about todays electronics being very forgiving as far as RF
fields are concerned. From my experience, the RF field from my 4" coil has
caused some strange behavior in many solid state devices, the computer has
rebooted or frozen while running the TC at least 10 feet away. Also I am
unable to approach the coil closer than 5'-6' with my Mustek digital camera
without the image turning red or the unit powering off and refusing to work
for at least 5 minutes thereafter. Generally I would be leery of most solid
state devices in the vicinity of the TC.

Josh